Lappet-loom.



No. 731,377. 7 PATENTED JUNE 16, 1901s. 7 c. A. LITTLEIIELD. LAPPET LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1903.

N0 MODEL. v3 8HEB'18SEHH1HIE 1.

Zzassea! 624014462454".

'No. 731,377. PATENTED JUNE 16, 1903. G. A. LITTLEPIELD LAPPET LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1903.

.NO MODEL. 3 SHEIBTS-SHBET 2.

Iiilllll ll!" PATBNTBD immie, 1903.

0. A. LITTLEFIELD;

LAPPET LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.12, 1903.

3 SHEBTS-SHEET 3.

N0 MODEL.

' 35 thelappet patternor Patented June 16, 1903;

Price,

ATENT CHARLES A. LI'lTlLEhlELD, OF NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSI'GNOR 'lO -DRA1ER (QMIAN if, OF IIOPEDAIJE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORA- TION OF, MAINE.

- LAPPET -LOOM.

srncrsrce'rron forming part of Letters Patent No. 731,377, dated June 16, 1903.

Application filed March 12,1903. Serial No- 147.406. (No model 1'0 all 71/71/0737 it im concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES. A. LITTLE- FIELD, a citizen of the United States, and a residentof New Bcdford, county of Bristol,

5 State off-Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Lappet-Looms, of which the following description, in connection withthe accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like to parts. I

This invention relates to la it has for its object the production of means for so controlling the lappet mechanism that the irregular weaving of lappet figures or :5 patterns in thccloth will be obviated.

It not infrequently happens that when a loom has been set or adjusted to effect in a predetermined manner the uniform weaving of a certain iappet figure, design, or pattern,

whichever term be employed, such tigure or pattern governed by or through the lappet mechanism 'will very perceptibly vary or be irregularly produced throughout the cut or piece of cloth. After careful study and inppetdooms; and

vestigation I have discovered this non unifor mity'or irregularity to be due to the following reasons: As is well known, a loom at its best is rather a 1oose-jointcd apparatus, with considerable lost motion, and one that go requires almost constant adjustment of its several parts to make it give the desired re-- sultsiu goods woven. This fact of itself is sufficient usually to disarrange or cause nonuniformity or irregularity in the repeat of figure as predetermined, as well as in the pattern or figureitself, The picking. motion also contributes largely to the above-mentioned disarrangement of pattern or figure, inasmuch asit causes considerable or slat to the lay and the parts carried thereby. Especially is this the case in lappet-looms, wherein the lappet-needles and their supporting-bars are carried by the lay, such jarring or-slatting causing a movement 5 of the said bars and their needles which is beyond the control of either the pattern-surface proper or of the operator.

It. will be understood that the connections operating the needle bar'or bars and between the latter ang i 'the pattern-surface mustot? another set; so, too,

necessity be more or less loosely arranged to compensate for the distance through which they act and because of thefrcedom of move ment which must exist between sucheonnections, the pattern-surface, and the needlebar. Such lost motion of the several parts and the jar of the picking mechanism imparted to the lay tend to shift the lappet needle bar or bars laterally in the supports therefor on the lay, causing the lappet-nee- 6o dles to either increase or diminish the tension of the lappet-warps led thereto and'in the case of inereaseof tension drawing fromthe lappet-spools more lappet-yarn than is required. 7 Such irregularity of tension is detrimental to the lappet pattern or figure, as must be evident, and results inirregnlarity thereinin the cloth when finished. Also, asis well known, it is usual in weaving to give the rear harness or harnesses a greater travel to make the leaves of the shed even in plane and to insure an unobstructed path for the shuttle in its flight. This alone causes a difierence in tension in the main'or harness warps, the tension of the warps controlled by the rearmost harness of course being considerably greater. In this case a predetermined travel of the lappet-needle bars across the high-tension warpsin laying the lappet-yarns will no't permit the lappetsyarns to crowd the said main warps together to such a degreeas would be the case when the low-tension or front-harness warps ,Were in the upper plane of the shed and acted upon by the lappetyarn,'supposing that thelappet-yarns are subjected to substantially uniform tension.

From the foregoing it will be evident that regularity offigu re or pattern cannoteontinue throughout the outer piece of cloth when the needle bar or bars are moved across first one set of main warps and the next time across with the ,slatting of the picking mechanism, which latter is liable to vary in power at the two sides of a loom, thereby jarring the needle-bars irregularly 5 laterally and causing bad effects both upon the main or harness warps and the lappetwarps, each tending to injure the configura-. tion-of. the pattern to be woven. These de- ;,fects are more prominent when solid figuresa- !OO such as spots or diamonds, for instance-are to be Woven, it being desired that each one shall preserve the same shape and size'and contain the'saine number of stitches in its construction as the previous one throughout the cut, and the provision of means to effect this uniformity is the main object of this invention.

Let it be supposed in the present case it has been found by experiment that the best results are obtained from a needle bar or bars giving to the lappet-needles the necessary movement required by the pattern-surface just previous to the picking 0f the shuttle from the left-hand shuttle-box to the righthand box. Then such relative movementof the parts mentioned must be preserved throughout the required length of cloth to be woven. In other words, the lappet-needles should not be given the requisite movement 'just priorto the opposite pick of the shuttleviz., from right to left.

It is to be understood that the adjustment to efiect the desired relative timing can be made with regard to either pick, as may be mostappropriate to the Work in hand, provided that relation obtains throughout the completion of a cut of the cloth.

The inannerin which my invention is made effective will be clearly pointed out in the subjoined description and accompanying illustration of a practical embodiment thereof in a lappet-loom, the general structure of the lappet mechanism not forming any part of my present invention.

I have provided means for automatically renderinginoperative the pattern-controlling mechanism by or through the stoppage of the loom, therebyobviating the necessity of turning back the pattern-surface.

When the loom is at rest, the weaver can turn the loom over, as is frequently necessary in order to piece up warps orsupply new filling, without any effect upon the feed of the pattern-sit rface, and by means to be described the feed of the pattern-surface will be resumed automatically in proper-relation to the picking of the shuttle when the loom is again started up.

The various novel features of my invention will be fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the'following claims.

Figure l is a front elevation, centrally broken out, of asufiicient portion ofa,lappetloom to be understood with one embodiment of my present invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a left-hand side elevation thereof, showing the shi ppi ng mechanism, the patternsurfat-e and some of its cooperating parts for controlling the positionin; of the lappet-nee? dies being omitted. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 3 3, Fig. 1, looking toward the left; and Fig. 4' is a detail of the means for controlling the pattern mechanism and preserving the timing ofthe same rclat-ive 'o the picking of the shuttle, the view being taken on the line 4 t, 1, looking toward the left.

In the drawings the shipper is in running position and the lay is just about to beat up. Only so much of the lappet mechanism is illustrated and will be described as willbe snificient to effect a proper understanding thereof in connection with the novel features of my invention, the particular lappet mechanism herein forming no part ofmy invention.

The loom sides A, overhanging arch A, the breast-beam B, (omitted for the most part in Fig. 1,) the cam-shaft C, crank-shaft 0 provided with fast and 'loosepulleys P and P, the shipper S, its notched holding-plate B and the'belt-fork S, mounted on a sleeve 3', slidable on a stud 5 projecting from the loom side, inay be and are all of usual or wellknown construction. The lay L, its reed R,- and the 'lay-swords L are also of usual con: struction, and I have shown the dependin eye-pointed lappet-needles as secured to,

two needle bars or carriers 0 c, mounted upon and longitudinally movable in heads b surmounting the lifter-rods b; the latter sliding in guides b and b on the lay and lay-svrords, respectively. Each needle-bar is attached at one end to a spring e fixed; a ts outer end to a stud 2on the lay to move the bar to the I right,Fig. l,opposite movement being effected by the pattern-surface through connections to be described. -Each lifter-rod b is pivotally connectedat a", Fig. 3, with the upper,

end of a link 0 the lower end of the latter being fulcruined at c on a rocker-arm c, pivoted at Won the loom side, the forward movement of the lay acting through the links c to raise the lifter-rods, and thereby lift the lappet-needles 0 above the main or harness warps as the filling is beaten in. When the needles are in raised position, they will when necessary be moved longitudinally of the lay by or through the operation 'of the patternsurface, the lappet-warps i being led to the needles from a warp 'beam t on the arch A and controlled by a suitable tension device, as P. WVhen the needles are to be maintained in raised position, stop-arms f, Fig 1, fulcrumed on the lay rocker-shaft L, are swung beneath the lower ends of the lifter-rods,"a spring f? holding the arms inoperative, they being connected by a linkf" to rock in unison.

One stop-armhas an attached outwardly-extended arm f, which is connected with a rod f, the upper end of the rod being pivotally attached to a follower-arm f, governed as to sion d on the rocker-shaft L the opposite d with bell-cranks d,

ends of the rockers beingconnected by rods fulcrumed. at (Z on the lay and connected by short links (Z with the nearer ends of the'needl'e-bars c.

The pattern-chains E E and F are hung upon and are moved step by step by sprocketw'heels ofusual construction fast on a pattern-shaft e, mounted in suitable hearings on a stand or frame E secured 'to the back of the arch A, said shaft having fast upon it a feed-ratchet e and a disk or ratchet a, having concave spacesbetween its teeth to receive a roll 5 on a detent-pawl e fulcrumed on thestand at6 the disk by a spring e Fig. 4. g

The feed and detent ratchets e an'd e have the same number of teeth, eight being herein shown, a feed-pawl e cooperating with the former when the loom is running under normal conditions, ,said pawl being jointed to a pawl-carriereflfulcrumed on the loom side at e pick when'the loom is and havingasuitable roll 8 to engage a cam e on the crank-shaft O (See Fig.- 3.) Each rotation of said shaft will operate through the feed-pawl and its cooperating ratchet to advance the pattern-shaft '6 one step for each running, a spring 8 tending to keep the pawl in engagement with the ratchet. v

-A lever e a, Fig. 2, is fulcrumed at Won the loom side adjacent the shipper mechan- 'ism,.the upturned and rearwardly-extendedarm (2 having a lateral lug a just in front of the feed-pafwl 6 while the arm e' is downturned, its extremity e projecting in front of a cam-shelfe on the sleeve 8 (see Fig. 1) and being held againstit byte-springs. The

1 cam-shelf rises from its outer end toward the eenterof the loom, so that when the shipper S is released theoutward movement of the anyturningoverof the loom o anism.

of the pattern gaged from its ratchet e stoppage of the loom automatically throws to thepicking i of cloth.

sleeve s'caus'es the cam sheIf-m act on the 2 part c of'the lever e eh'tur'ning the latter inthe direction of arrow 15, Fig. 2,:and through the lug e the feed-pawl e is disen- Consequently the 9' pattern mechanism out'of operation, and byhandin either direction has no effect on the pattern mech- The means by which. the proper operation mechanism is insured relative action will now be described,

it being remembered that it is desired to' maintain agiven relation throughout the out A four-point star wheel or cam 7; is secured tothe pattern-shaft e by a suitable set-screw 35, Fig. 1, and

coiiperating with the starwheel is an upturned follower shown as j upturned arm fast on a rock-shaft k nounted'in'suitable hearings on the stand E Saiiirockshaft is just in front of the feedpawiei which, it will be remembered, opera'tps' on each pick to advance theratchet e 7 and held incodperation with direction of onetooth when the loom is running. Ashort upturned knock-oft arm fast on the rockshaft, is located immediately infrontof the in inoperative position as regards the feed other pick. On picks, however, when the" follower is between two points of the et-an wheel the rock-shaft 75 may be turned to;

pawl, this occuring at every the intervening render the knockoff arm 75 operative. IA depending rearwardly-bent arm 70" is rigidly secured to the rock-shaft 70 and is, pivot-' ally connected at It" It, fulcrumed on the loom side at 75. follower at its free front end is provided with a shoe hi adapted to cooperate with a cam K,

mounted on the cam-shaft C ofthe loom and held in adjusted position by a clamp-plate 7t" and boltit' Fig. 2. The weight of the follower and thedevices connecting it with the rock-shaft 75 tend to turn the latter in the lowerlt wheel.

As shown in Figs. 2 and the cam K has only high and low portions,the high portion acting for one pick to elevate the follower It and for the next pick the low part permits it. to descend, it being understood that the camshaft Crotates once for every two picks:

Thecam K is so set with relation to the star wheel or cam (see Fig. 1) that when the its ratchet 6 Refen with the upper end of .a link 76'', in turn pivoted to a follower-ar1n The the arrow 36 and to move the folinward toward the centerof the starfoo follower 7c is in engagement with a point of I the star-wheel or when the fOllOWGlk is raised by the cam K'the pattern mechanism will be operated by or through its feed-pawl e and cooperating ratchet. In other words, in either of the oasesabove mentioned the rock-shaft k cannot turn to render the knock-off arm 70 operative to throw off the feed-pawl, and

the star-cam thus operates on one pick to control the rock-shaft, while on the next pick the latter is controlled by the cam K, and so on while the loom continues to run.

Supposingthat the star-cam and cam K are set, as shown, so that the lappet-needles will be changed only prior to thepi'cks of shuttle from left to right, (which may be termed the odd.picks,)itf0llowingthat then thelappetvarps will always be carried over the same division of the main or harness warps, then the mechanism just described will maintain such relative operation even though the loom' be turned backward or forward by hand when stopped-that is, should the low portions of both the star-cam 7c and the cam K be opposite their respective followers the rock-shaft a? will be turned IIO so that the knock-off arm k will render the feed or pick pawl e" inoperative and the pattern mechanism will not operate while such condition holds.

\Vhen the loom stops, the feed-pawl is rendered inoperative automatically by or through the stopping means, as has been described, and then the weaver can turn the loom forward or back one or more picks to piece up warp, supply new filling to the shuttle, 850., and there will be no movement of the patternshaft e Now, viewing lug. 3, it the 100m should stop with the star-cam k and cam K in the position therein shownthe weaver might turn the cam-shaft C'through one-half of a revolution, equivalent to one'pick, or far enough to equal three picks orany odd number of picks, thereby bringing the high part of K into engagement with its follower. Such movement for an odd number of picks would when starting up the loom throw out the relative adjustment between the lappet-needles and the picking, action unless provided for by the means described-that is, if the high part of cam K is in engagement with its follower their onstarting n p the loom the first half-turn of'thecrank-shaft beats in the filling and the feed-pawl e will be moved ahead, advancing the pattern-shaft one tooth of the ratchet 6 thus bringing the follower 7.1 opposite a low point of the star-cam 7a, the follower It" still remaining in engagement with its cam K. As the crank-shaft completes the first revolution the lay swings back, the shed is changed, and the back-harness warps will be in the upper plane of the shed, the feedpawl eiagain resuming the position shown in Fig; 3; but the cam K will then have reached its position shown in said figure and both followers will be opposite low parts of their conacts to rock the shaft 7% in the direction of arrow 36, Fig. 4, and the knock-off arm 10 engages the feed-pawl e and disengages it from its'ratchet, so that on the first part of the second revolution of the crank-shaft there will be no'advance of the pattern-shaft as the lay heats up. As the second revolution of the crank-shaft is completed the shedis changed. and the front-harness warps are moved into the upper plane of the shed, while the pawl a is lowered into setting position;

. but it will not be permitted to swing into engagement with v the ratchet 6 until the fol lower Ir has been lifted by engagement with the high part of cam K. Such engagementoccurs just before or as the crank-shaft completes its second revolution referred to, and then it will be'manitest that the cams their followers are again in proper relation to each other-viz., the high part of one cam is in engagement with its follower, while the other follower, as In, is opposite its low part.

This allows the return of the knock-elf armto inoperative positioinand the feed-pawl c as a consequence resumes cooperation with (Salli Immediately the combined weightof follower 7o,link and. arm 70, to.

invention it is possible to weave such a patno and its ratchet, so that on the first half of the third revolution of the crank-shaft the pattern-shaft is advanced one step. Thereafter the regular operation of the loom and pattern mechanism continues until another stoppage of the loom, accompanied by turning over of the loom by hand for one pick or an odd'number of picks, when the operation described in detail again occurs.

'Manifestly if the adjustment has been such that an advance of the pattern mechanism is to occur only when the front-harness warps are up the means hereinbefore described will prevent such an advance when the back-harness warps are up, even should the weaver have so turned the loom over by hand that such result would ordinarily follow.

- Of course the adjustment could be made relative to those picks on which the back-harness warps are up, and in that case the mechanism herein described would prevent the operation of the pattern mechanism when the. front-harness warps were up. v

To a certain extent the controlling means for the lappet pattern mechanism is a pickfinding device, as it prevents a certain operation of the pattern mechanism on other than rearran edoicks followin a certain sequence.

My invention comes into play in weaving another lappet design not heretofore referred to specifically-via, th'e weaving ofspots or polka-dot effects, the spots being made by the zoo larger, and so on; but the true explanation of.

this peculiarity is difficult to determine,'un-- less it be due to some of the various irregularities in a lappet-loom hereinbefore referred Without the employment-of my present tern correctly for a length of the cloth in which occurs no breakage of the warp or filling or while the yarn holds out on the shuttlebobbin. Thereafter, however, when the weaver supplies fresh filling or when a warp- 1 r5 thread is pieced up he willalmost invariably turn the' loom over in one direction or the other or the pattern-surface may be moved forward or back. In such case thepatteru-i surface may not-in all probability will nqt" r 2o I maintain the previous relation ofmov'ement to the other parts ef the loomin startingup.

- Hence there is the liability that the large spots,

for instance, maybe woven in the places the smaller spots should occupy, and vice versa, r2 5 and in actual practice this frequently happens, so that the cutof cloth would show a great irregularity in its design.

It will be'manifest that even should it be desired to make all the spots the same size I 3 i and some lines across thecloth show large spots and other lines small spots there vwill be no objection to this variation if the same variation is present throughout the cut; but

e the design shows large and small Patent, is-

' tern-surface" to 1. In a lappet-loom, a shipper, la'ppet-needles,.a carrier or needle-bar therefor, a patcontrol the operation thereof,

an actuating pawl and ratchet to advance the pattern-surface step by step, and means actuatedbymovement of the shipper to stopping position to effect disengagement of the pawl and ratchet.

2. In a lappet-loom, a shipper, lappet-needles, a carrier or needle-bartherefor; a pattern-surface to control the operation thereof, a cooperating pawl and ratchet operating on each pick to advance the pattern-surface, a lever to engage and render the pawl inoperative, and means actuated 'by movement of the shipper to stopping-position to effect such engagement of the said lever and pawl.

3. In a lappet-loom, lappet-needles, a pattern-surface to control the operation thereof, a device to actuate the pattern-surface, 11183118 operated automatically upon stoppage of the loom to throw said device out of action, and

means to permit pattern-controlledoperation of the'lappetneedles relative to only a predetermined sequence of picks.

4. In a lappet-loom, a lappet-needle bar, a-

pattern-s11 rface to control the operation thereof, means operative automatically upon stop: page of the loom to isolate said pattern-surface from the main body of the loom, whereby the latterumay be turned over manually without affecting the pattern-surface, and

'means to maintain a predeterminedrelation between the pattern-controlled operation of the needle-bar and the picking of the loom irrespective ofany manual turning over thereof when stopped.

5. In a la'ppet-loom, ltl-[lQOh-IICBLHOS, a pattern-surface to control the operation thereof,

a device to actuate the pattern-sirrfaceg'means' operated automatically uponstoppageof the loointo throw said device out of action, and means operative upon starting of theloon to control the pattern-surface and maintain a the design is prevented predetermined relation between the patterncontrolled operation of .thelappet-needles and the picking of the loom.

6. In a lappet-loom, lappet-needles, spate tern-surface to control the operation thereof,

an actuating-pawl for the patternsurface,

means to render automaticallysaid pawl in operative uponstoppage of the loom, and means to maintain pattern-controlled operation of the lappet-needles relative to a predetermined sequence of picks, said v eluding a cam movable with the pattern-stirface and a cam movable with a rotatable m ember of the loom.

7. In a lappet-loom, lappet-needles, a pattern-surfaceto control the operation thereof, actuating means cluding-a pattern-shaft having an attached ratchet, and a feed-pawl codperating therewith, means to disengage the pawl and ratchet by v or through stoppage of the loom, and

means to maintain .a predetermined relation between the pattern-c the lappet-needles and the picking of the loom, said means including a cam on the pattern-shaft and a cam and render the'feed-pawl inoperative unless each other.

one us in for said pattern-surface, in

on a rotatable member of the loom, and a knock-off arm to act upon 8. In alappet loom, lappet-needles, a pat tern-surface to control the operation thereof, actuating means for said pattern-surface, including a pattern-shaft having an attached ratchet, and a feed-pawl cooperating therewith, mea us to disengage the pawl and ratchet I by or through stoppage of the loom, and means to maintain a predetermined relation between the pattern-controlled operation of the lappetneedles and the picking of the loom, said means including a star-cam on the patternshaft anda cam having high and low points, on a rotatable member of the loom, followers to cooperate with said cams, a knock-oifarm, and connections between it and the followers, said knockoff arm being moved into engagement with and rendering the feed-pawl inoperative when manual movement of the loom brings a high or a. low point of both cams opposite their respective followers.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. CHARLES A. LIUILEEIELD. .\Vitnesses:

GEO. II. POTTER, CHARLES G. LEWIS.

86 ontrolled operation of 

